New Car Launches for the Rest of 2015

Snapshot – In the next 9 months, a flurry of new cars will be launched in India, seeking to put back momentum in the car market of the country. The new car launches will include both facelifts and all-new models. While some of these launches will carve out all-new segments, others will seek to improve sales figures of existing vehicles. CarToq gives you a bird’s eye view of 20 new upcoming cars and SUVs for the rest of 2015.

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross

The first all-new car from Maruti Suzuki for 2015 will be the S-Cross crossover. Meant to eat away market share from the likes of the Renault Duster and the Mahindra XUV500, the S-Cross is a five seater. Petrol and turbo diesel engines will be offered on this crossover, which is expected to be priced between the Duster and XUV500. The S-Cross will be Maruti Suzuki’s first foray into the affordable SUV space in India, a segment that has been growing rapidly over the past few years. The vehicle is likely to be launched before the second half of 2015.

Maruti Suzuki Celerio Diesel

Soon, the Celerio will gain a 792cc, twin cylinder turbo diesel engine. This engine is touted to make the Celerio the most fuel efficient car in India, with a mileage figure of 30 Kmpl. A five speed manual gearbox will be on offer. The engine will also be the smallest diesel unit to power a car in India. Maruti Suzuki is expected to price the Celerio Diesel competitively as the car needs to be well differentiated in price terms for it to sell well. A starting price tag well within 4.5 lakh rupees is anticipated. The car could bow in before the middle of this year.

Maruti Suzuki Swift Diesel AMT

After getting Indian car buyers hooked onto AMT equipped cars, Maruti Suzuki is all set to equip its best selling cars with the affordable automatic gearbox technology. The Swift will be the next car to benefit from an AMT, with the car’s 1.3 liter Fiat Multijet diesel engine equipped variant to go automatic. The Swift AMT will go head to head against the Tata Bolt, which will also get its own automated manual transmission shortly. Diesel powered AMTs marry high fuel efficiency and convenience.

Maruti Suzuki YRA Premium Hatchback

The Hyundai Elite i20 has shown that Indian car buyers are now ready to fork out a premium for a car that is well finished, designed and that reeks of quality. Maruti Suzuki will take its first stab at the premium B+ segment hatchback space during this year’s festive season, with the YRA. The YRA was shown at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show as the iK-2 concept. This car will also mark the first turbopetrol engined car from Maruti Suzuki. A turbo diesel engine is a given.

Hyundai iX25

The Hyundai iX25 compact SUV will be the first such product for the Indian car market from the South Korean automaker. The iX25 has already been launched in China, to a good response. Hyundai India is expected to pack this compact SUV to the gills in terms of features. The iX25 will take on the Renault Duster, and could be priced at similar levels. The SUV will be built at Hyundai India’s Sriperumbudur factory, off Chennai. A high amount of localization to make for a competitive price tag is a given. A launch in August or September 2015 is on the cards.

Honda Jazz

Later this year, the Honda Jazz hatchback will make its comeback into India. The car is a B+ segment hatchback that will be positioned as a premium offering that will rub shoulders with the likes of the Volkswagen Polo GT twins and the upcoming Maruti Suzuki YRA. The Jazz will be sold with petrol and turbo diesel engine options. Though Honda Cars India has begun exporting the Jazz to South Africa, the Indian launch has been delayed due to production constraints. That said, the Jazz will be launched here by the middle of 2015.

Mahindra S101 Micro SUV

Mahindra will carve out a new segment in the SUV space, by launching the S101. The S101 codenamed vehicle will sit in the Micro SUV segment. The S101 will be sold with petrol and turbo diesel engine options. With a sub-4 meter footprint and six seats on offer, the vehicle will be a unique offering in the Indian car market. With the new vehicle, Mahindra will seek to wean hatchback buyers away into SUV territory. The S101 is expected to carry a price tag close to the 5 lakh rupee mark. A monocoque body and front wheel drive layout will be standard on this SUV.

Mahindra U301 Bolero

The U301 Mahindra Bolero is a utility vehicle that will now attempt to attract younger buyers. A major makeover for the vehicle will arrive with the launch of the U301 codenamed Bolero model. A 1.5 liter twin scroll turbocharger equipped diesel motor will power the compact SUV, which will measure under 4 meters in length and will retain the ladder frame chassis. The rear wheel drive layout will also be retained on the U301 Bolero, giving the vehicle a rugged appeal. Enthusiasts would be hoping that Mahindra adds a four wheel drive system.

Mahindra Quanto Facelift

The slow selling Mahindra Quanto compact SUV will soon be reimagined with a major facelift. The facelift will go beyond cosmetics and feature additions to actually make a big improvement to the vehicle’s driving dynamics. Ride and handling are two areas that will be addressed with a revised suspension, one that has made the Xylo MPV a much better vehicle to drive and be driven in. The 1.5 liter twin scroll turbo diesel engine and the rear wheel drive layout will be retained.

Mahindra XUV500 Facelift

The Mahindra XUV500 will get a mid life makeover later this year. The flagship vehicle from the Mahindra group will host the same 2.2 liter mHawk turbo diesel engine, albeit with an automatic gearbox added to the equation. The front wheel drive and all wheel drive variants will be retained. Design and feature additions apart, a diesel hybrid variant of the crossover is also said to be in the offing. The diesel hybrid version of the XUV500, if launched with the facelifted model, will make the XUV500 the first such offering in India.

Mahindra Scorpio Automatic

The facelifted Scorpio was launched last year, and the SUV has been a strong seller ever since. While Mahindra skimped on the automatic transmission for the SUV during the launch, a new automatic gearbox is expected to be added to the Scorpio Facelift over the course of this year. The Scorpio Automatic will then occupy a unique position in the Indian ladder frame SUV market, where none of the mass market offerings feature an automatic transmission option.

Tata Kite Hatchback and Compact Sedan

Tata Motors’ all-new car launch program for 2015 will include the Kite hatchback and compact sedan models. Both cars will replace existing Tata vehicles, in this case the Indica and the Indigo eCS. The Kite twins will feature completely new designs and will also be sub-4 meter offerings. Petrol and diesel engines will be offered on both cars. The Kite twins will be built at Sanand, seeking to take off some pressure from the Nano, which is yet to make a strong mark at the hustings.

Tata Nano AMT

Tata Motors’ transformation of the Nano, from the world’s cheapest car to a “smart city car” will get its biggest fillip with the addition of an automated manual transmission (AMT) option to the hatchback. The Nano AMT will make its debut shortly, and uncamouflaged test mules have already been spotted on Pune roads. The Nano AMT will be the most expensive variant in the low cost hatchback’s line up. Apart from the new gearbox, the car will also gain new features.

Tata Safari Storme Facelift

The Safari Storme Facelift is around the corner. The 7 seat ladder frame SUV could gain a new state of tune for its 2.2 liter VARICOR turbo diesel engine. 156 Bhp-400 Nm are the outputs of the new state of tune, and this will make the Storme much quicker off the blocks. The diesel engined vehicle will also gain a revised center console design with an integrated infotainment unit. A new steering wheel and spruced up interiors are the other changes expected. A front facing third row of seats may still not make the cut into production.

Ford Figo Hatchback and Compact Sedan

From being a best seller in Ford India’s range, the Figo hatchback is now an underperformer. The car will soon get a generation change, with a new model stepping into its shoes in the form of the 2015 Figo. This time around, the Figo will also get a compact sedan sibling, which will replace the Classic sedan in India. Both cars will be offered with petrol and turbo diesel engines that will be more powerful than the outgoing cars’ motors. Both new cars will roll out from Ford’s Sanand factory, at Gujarat. The Figo hatchback and compact sedan are likely to make their debuts by the middle of 2015.

Ford Endeavour SUV

The Endeavour SUV will arrive by the end of this year, as a replacement to the current version, which is over a decade old in India. The new 2015 Endeavour, gauging from the technical specifications, is a much improved vehicle. For the Indian car market, the new SUV is expected to be sold with 2.2 liter-4 cylinder and 3.2 liter-5 cylinder turbo diesel engines, with 6 speed manual and automatic transmissions. A seven seat layout, ample ground clearance and a terrain response equipped four wheel drive system will be key highlights of the vehicle, apart from its striking design on the outside and inside.

Fiat Punto EVO and Avventura T-Jet

Globally, Fiat is going back to its roots of making affordable yet sporty small cars. In India, the Italian automaker will infuse some more excitement to the likes of the Punto EVO and the Avventura models by adding the 1.4 liter T-Jet turbo petrol engine to the equation. The engine will be borrowed from the Linea T-Jet and will feature a water cooled turbo charger, which is a measure of its performance centric design. With the 1.4 liter turbo petrol motor, both the Punto EVO and Avventura will become more sprightly cars.

Renault Lodgy MPV

Renault’s first big launch of the year will happen in weeks from now, in the form of the Lodgy MPV. The Lodgy will be a diesel-only vehicle with the 1.5 liter K9K turbo diesel engine in two states of tune powering the MPV. To be sold in 7 and 8 seat configurations, the Lodgy will be aimed at big volumes. Price positioning is expected to be in between that of the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and the Toyota Innova. The Lodgy is a front wheel driven, monocoque bodied MPV whose claim to fame is the excellent fuel efficiency it offers.

Renault XBA Hatchback

The Indian car market warmed up to French brand Renault with the ultra successful Duster. Take two of this success story expected to be the Lodgy MPV. Take three will hit the market by the end of this year in the form of the A-Entry/XBA code-named low cost hatchback. The XBA has been designed and developed in India. So, heavy localization is a given. The car will use an 800cc, triple cylinder petrol engine, and possibly also gain an automated manual transmission. The XBA will also be exported from India.

Nissan Terrano AWD

The Terrano will gain an all wheel drive system, a-la-the Renault Duster. The Terrano AWD will also gain a raft of safety equipment and features, just like the Duster AWD did. The new SUV variant from Nissan will be priced above its Renault equivalent. While this will make the SUV hard sell in terms of the value it offers, folks who think that the Nissan vehicle looks much better than the Renault may not hesitate to fork out the extra money for the looks alone. The Terrano AWD could be the only major launch from Nissan this year.